Sporadic military meningococcal disease: a diversity of presentations.
Thirty-four cases of meningococcal disease were identified in a retrospective survey of nine US Army posts in the southeastern United States from June 1977 to August 1979. Group B organisms predominated in dependents and civilian communities surrounding two of the posts, while active-duty personnel had a greater variety of organisms, with groups Y and C predominating. The spectrum of clinical presentation and severity was diverse. Six cases of pneumonia with bacteremia occurred, all in basic trainees. A case of chronic meningococcemia was identified, as was one case of dermatitis-arthritis in a pregnant woman, which mimicked gonococcemia. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility of sporadic meningococcal disease in military personnel and their dependents.
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000473:pathology; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008887:Military Medicine; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000382:microbiology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000473:pathology